Device for removing, replacing, and adjusting stuffing-box mechanism for valves.



A. J. PIBSZAK.

DEVICE FOR REMOVING, REPLACING, AND ADJUSTING STUFFING BOX MECHANISM FOR VALVES.

APPLICATION FILED 313.13, 1913.

1,086,728. Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH couwAsnmuToN. D c

A. J. PIESZAK.

DEVICE FOR REMOVING, REPLACING, AND ADJUSTING STUFFING BOX MECHANISM FOR VALVES. APPLICATION FILED 1113.13, 1913.

1,086,728. Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

V ANTHONY J. PIESZAK, OF DUNKIRK, NEW YORK.

DEVICE FOR REMOVING, REPLACING, AND ADJUSTING STUFFINGr-BOX MECHANIS FOR VALVES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914.

Application filed February 13, 1913. Serial No. 748,150.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANTHONY J. PIEszAK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dunkirk, in the county of Chautauqua and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Removing, Replacing, and Adjusting Stuffing-Box Mechanism for Valves; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invent-ion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertai'ns to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, forming part of this specification.

My invention relates to mechanism for removing, re-placing and adjusting stuffing-box mechanisms on shut-off-valves located under ground, and has for its object the construction of an instrument adapted to be inserted into the valve-tube to engage the stufling-box mechanism of a valve, to engage and remove the wrench-head on the upper end of the valvestem, and to un screw and remove said wrench-head and stuffing-box mechanism from the valvestem and lift the same out of the valve-tube when the stufiing-box mechanism can be re packed and re-placed upon the valve.

The features of my invention are hereinafter set forth and pointed out and are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1, is a vertical central section of a valve-tube in place upon a valve, showing my invention in vertical central section therein, ready to be operated. Fig. 2, is a like view showing my invention therein in operation, with the stuffing-box mechanism partially lifted upward. Fig. 3, is a vertical central section of my invention, removed from the valve-tube, and with the stuffingbox mechanism removed from the lower end thereof. Fig. 4:, is a transverse central section of the stuiiing-boX mechanism of a shutoff-valve removed from said valve, the parts thereof being separated for the purpose of re-packing, and having a mandrel in place therein. Fig. 5, is a plan view looking upward, of the lower end of my invention. Fig. 6, is a view in elevation of one part thereof. Fig. 7 is an-end view in elevation, looking upward, of a portion of my invention.

As is well known, the common practice in laying water-mains in cities, shut-off-valves of certain sizes, usually the smaller sizes, are placed in the mains under ground, with tubes leading upwardly from said valves to the surface, said tubes being for the purpose of permitting the insertion of a key or wrench to open and close said valve. It frequently happens, however, that it becomes necessary, owing to leaks around the valve-stem, to re-pack the stuffing-box, and adjust the same so that there shall be no leak around the valve-stem. In such a case, it is the present practice to dig the earth out, making an opening down to the valve, so that a workman can get thereto, and repack the valve. My invention is designed to overcome this difficulty and enable the workman to remove the stufiing-box from the valve and lift it upward in the valvetube and re-pack the same outside of the tube and then replace it in a re-packed condition, upon the valve and after the same has been re-placed, to adjust the stuffing-box, and replace the wrench-head upon, and secure the same to the valvestem.

In these drawings A, indicates a shut-olfvalve in the water-main, A, indicates the stufling-box mechanism thereof, a, indicates the flange on the lower portion of the stuffing-boX mechanism, preferably made hexagonal, adapted to receive a wrench or other tool thereabout, by means of which said stufling-box may be screwed or unscrewed into or out of the housing of the valve A.

a, indicates the flange on the upper part of the stufiing-box, which is preferably made hexagonal, and preferably of equal size with the flange (4, so as to be engaged and operated with the same tool which operates the flange a.

A indicates the valve-stem, A indicates a wrench-head, which is secured upon the upper end of the valve-stem A by means of a screw-nut A, which is placed upon the A indicates the valve-tube, which leads from the location of the valve under ground, to the surface, and through which tube access to the valve may be had for the purpose 5, of opening or closing the same.

In carrying out my invention, 1 provide a tool having the lower end 13, thereof, chambered out to receive the flanges a, and a, of the stuffing-box mechanism A, and

1a the stem 13, of this tool, is tubular and ter- -1ninates at the upper end in handle mechanism Z). The stem B, being of such length may be desired, and which may be requiredby the particular locality. From the 15 upper end, thereof, and pivoted in the handle mechanism Z), a pair of rods B extend downwardly to, and are journaled in the lower end B, of this tool, the lower end 7), of these rods being bent at right angles to the upright portion thereof and extending inwardly toward the stufiing-box body A, underneath one of the flanges a, or a. the upper ends of said rods B being provided with operating handles 6 by means of which the rods B can be operated to turn their lower ends 7), inward so as to engage the under side of the flange (1, as shown in Figs. 1, and 2, for the purpose of retaining the stuffing-box mechanism A, within the lower. end B. lVithin the tubular stem B. I place a wrench-head removing tool. C, the lower end of which is chambered out to fitand receive the wrenehhead A, on the valve-stem. This tool C,is provided with a tubular stem 0, which extends upwardly within the tube B, and terminates in handle mechanism 0, at the upper end thereof. From. the upper end of this tube C, and journaled in the handle mechanism 0, thereon, are rudsC which extend downwardly to and are ourna-led in the part C, and the lower ends 0, of the rods C are bent at right angles to the upright portions thereof and extend inwardly toward the valve-stem A (see Figs. 1 and 2) sufiiciently to engage the under side of the wrench-head A The upper ends of the rods C are provided with handles 0 by means of which the rods C may be operated to turnthe lower ends 6, thereof, outwardly from under the wrenchhead A For removing the nut A*, I provide akeyrod D, having on the lower end thereof a nutreceiving-member D. This key-rod D, extends upwardly through the tube C, and is provided on the upper end thereof with a handle D In order to retain the nut A within the nut-receiving-member D, there is journaled in the nut-receiving-member D, a rod E, the lower end 6. of which isbent slightly so that it. will engage the beveled corner on the lower side of the .nutA and the opposite side of the chamber-in themember D, hasa bead (Z at the lower edge thereof adapted to engage the bevel on the nut A opposite to the lower end 6, of the rod E. The rod E, extends upwardly through the tube C, and is pro vided on its upper end with a handle 6, by means of which the rod E, may be turned so that the lower end 6, thereof, will engage or release the nut A as may be desired. In order to center the rod D, and retain the same within the tube J, I place upon the rod D, adjacent to the upper and lower ends thereof disks F, shown in Fig. 6, which are split into two portions and are secured upon the rod D, by means of a screw, shown by broken lines in Fig. (i, which will clamp the same firmly upon the rod D. The opening f, for the rod D, being of proper diameter to firmly clamp the rod D, while the opening 7', for the rod E, is large enough to permit the rod E, to rotate freely therein, the disks F, being adapted to rotate freely within the tube C. lVhile I have shown my improved stufling-box adjusting mechanism as adapted for use upon hexagonal flanges, a, and a. it is obvious that the same could be formed to fit and operate upon flanges having different formations than shown in these drawings.

In operation, when it is desired to remove and. re-pack a stuffiing-box from an underground valve, my improved tool is lowered downward in the valve-tube A", until the same has engaged the flanges a, and a, of

the stalling-box A, when the handles 6 on the rods B are turned as shown in Fig. 1, so that the lower ends of the rod 13, will engage the under side of the flange (a. The part C, will have embraced the wrenchhead A and the handles 0 are turned as shown in Fig. 1 so that the lower ends 0, of the roos C will extend under and engage the under side of the wrench-head A The key-rod D, is then pushed downward until the member D, embraces the nut A when the handle c, is operated to turn the lower end 0. of the rod E, to engage the beveled corner of the nut A and securely clamp it within the member D. The handle D is now operated to unscrew the nut A The handles 0, are now operated and raised upward to lift the wrench head A upwardly off of the valve stem as shown in Fig. 2. The nut A and the wrench-head A being respectively retained in the members D, and C, until released. as hereinafter described. The handles 7), are now revolved to unscrew the stuffing-box mechanism from the valvehousing A, which is then lifted upwardly to draw the stuffingbox mechanism A, off of the valve-stem A as shown in Fig. 2. When the stuffing-box is moved upwardly clear of the valve-stem A the tool B, and B, is raised upwardly out of the valvetube A, carrying with it the members 0, and B, and the wrench-head A, and rU, retained in said members. WV-hen the stuffing-box is raised out of the tube A, it may be removed from the member B, by turning the lower end I), of the rod B backward. The stuffing-box may then be taken apart, as shown in Fig. 4, and the old wornout packing removed from the lower half thereof, when a mandrel G, of the same diameter as the valve-stem is placed through the upper portion a, through the gland a and through the lower portion a. Packing, a shown in broken lines in F ig. 4:, is then wrapped about the mandrel G, within the lower portion (1 until sufiicient packing is placed therein, when the gland a is moved up'against the packing in the lower part a, and the upper part a, is again screwed in place upon the lower part a. The mandrel G, is then removed, and the stuffing-box again replaced within the member 13, and the lower ends 6, of the rods B are turned inward to retain the stuffing-box mechanism A, within the member B. The apparatus is then picked up bodily by the workman and lowered into the tube A, and when the stuflfing-box has been carefully placed upon the valve-stem A and screwed down tightly into the valve-housing A, the member C, is operated to place the wrench-head A upon the upper end of the valve-stem A and the handles 0 are turned to move the lower ends of the rods C backward from under the wrench-head A the key-rod D, is pushed downwardly and revolved by the handle D to again place the nut A upon the valve-stem. The handle e, is now operated to cause the lower end 0, of the rod E, to release. the nut A. The handles 6 on the upper end of the rod B are now op erated to turn the lower ends of the rod B out of engagement with the under side of the flange a, when the apparatus is raised upward slightly, and the handle Z1 turned again to the position shown in the Fig. 1, so that the lower ends of the rod B will rest upon the upper side of the flange a, and thereby support the member B, out of engagement with the lower flange a. The handles 6, are now operated to adjust the upper half a, of the stufling-box mechanism by screwing the same downward to compress the packing within the stufling-box about the valve-stem A When this has been accomplished the handles 5 are again operated to turn the lower ends 5, of the rods B outwardly so that the apparatus may be raised upwardly and out of the tube A.

I am thus enabled to re-pack a st-uihngbox for an under ground shutoff valve, without the necessity of digging the earth away from around it.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is,

1. In an apparatus of the character desired, handles on the upper end of said stem,

rods pivoted at the upper end of said stem and in the member on the lower end thereof having their lower ends bent at right angles to the upright portion of said rods, and

handles on the upper ends of said rods, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, a member adapted to embrace and turn a stuffing-box mechanism, a tubular stem leading upward therefrom, handles on the upper end of said stem, mechanism adapted to look a stuffing-box mechanism within said member, and release the same when desired, a member within said tubular stem, and guided thereby to embrace the wrench-head on the upper end of a valvestem, means in said second member adapted to lock said wrench-head therein, and release the same when desired, a nut-turning key mounted within the tubular stem last mentioned and guided thereby to engage a nut on the upper end of a valve-stem, and means in said nut-turning key adapted to lock a nut therewithin and release the same when desired, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a member adapted to engage and rotate the flanges of a valve-stuifing-box, a tubular stem extending upwardly therefrom, means on the upper end of said tubular stem for operating the same, rods journaled to the upper end of said tubular stem and in the member at the lower end thereof, means to rotate said rods, an angular extension on the lower ends of said rods adapted to extend inwardly under one of the stufling-box flanges to prevent the same from falling out of said member, another member within said tubular stem guided by and adapted to embrace the wrench-head on the upper end of a valvestem, a tubular stem extending upwardly from said last mentioned member within the first mentioned tubular stem, means on the upper end of said last mentioned tubular stem for lifting and rotating the same, rods journaled to the upper end of said last mentioned tubular stem and extending downwardly to and journaled in the last mentioned member, angular extensions on the lower ends of said rods adapted to lock a wrench-head within said last mentioned member, means on the upper ends of said rods to rotate the same, a nut embracing member within said last mentioned member, a key-rod secured in said nut embracing member and extending upwardly therefrom, disks secured on said key-rod and rotatable within said last mentioned tubular stem whereby said nut embracing member is :& 1,086,728

and in said nut embracing member, an anndupted to engage a nut, a bead in the oppoguided dawn over av nut 0n the upperend tioned rod for rotating the same, substanof a-valve-stem, a rod journaled in said disks tially as and for the purpose set forth. 10

In testimony whereof I affix my signature,

in presence of two Witnesses.

gular extension en the lower end of said rOd ANTHONY J. PIESZAK.

site Wall of said nut embracing member Vitnesses:

midlmeans on the upper end of said last menztdapted to engage thelower corners of a nut, H. M. STURGEON,

FLORENCE STOCKERT.

fqoiii es of this patent may be Obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patients,

' Washington, D. C. 

